Lake Como International Museum of Vintage Boats

On the 15 of July 2018 was officially celebrated the reopening to the public, after 18 years of closure, of a place full of charm and culture: Museo Barca Lariana – Lake Como International Museum of Vintage Boats of Pianello del Lario (CO).

Founded in 1982 by Gian Alberto Zanoletti, who as a young boy had set himself the goal of saving the ancient local nautical traditions, Museo Barca Lariana – Lake Como International Museum of Vintage boats is today a unique heritage in the world and holds a priceless collection for the national and international nautical sector.

The Museum is a one-of-a-kind heritage, born out of years of “life and knowledge” of the territory around Lake Como which resulted in the realization of a collection of priceless value for the marine industry and the history of Italy.

The collection is hosted on 9,400 square meters of halls and warehouses and on over 8,000 square metres of park, who sets out to tell the history of boating in a territory, Lombardy and Lake Como in particular, rich in history and culture. A heritage to be recognized and to recount. A small universe of joy for the good things done artfully.

• Almost 200 rowing boats and gondolas and some 50 boats for fishing and hunting
• More than 100 outboard motorboats and some 100 inboard motorboats
• Some 40 racing inboard motorboats
• Some 80 sail boats
• 3 rowing boats for smulling
• The oldest Lake Como ship
• 6 military ships and 4 scows
• Almost 300 outboard engines and 80 inboard engines
• Thousands of objects about the building and usage of ships and boats, hundreds of recordings, dias, books and magazines and over 3,000 photos.

Museo Barca Lariana – Lake Como International Museum of Vintage Boats, is one of the main examples in Lombardia of a “distributed museum”, that is a stronghold of active caretaking of the territory the museum is located in, full expression of the relationship between museums and cultural environments.

The project aims at telling the history of boating in a territory – Lombardia in general, and Lake Como in particular – rich in history and culture, capable to involve an audience the broadest possible: not only scholars, researchers, boating passionate, but also tourists.

The involvement of the audience will make the Museo Barca Lariana a place created by people for the people. Because a museum must be a living place, active and dynamic, researching contemporary roads, interactive and interdisciplinary, in line with the needs and priorities of society, to play an active role in the life of a community.